burn the other end - billy strings 

2005

in Wab Kinew's book there is that scene, with the skulls, along with very precise anatominal description of how the scalpel makes the cut then the the black hooked pegs are carefully slid under the muscle, then the pull until the hooks come back out by tearing through. and it's presented as the alternative to suicide

thing is, I made those margin marks years ago, long before I read Kinew's book and no place else in Erdrich's writing does that scene happen at all. I just thought "that resonates" to/for me: the alternative to suicide is deeply physical, painful, personal. Yes, I thought.

I imagine he struck her like that.